Brenda writes: “Having for years observed wild flowers through the season one of the most interesting aspects are the seasonal variations. Although the general order remains the same, because the British climate is unpredictable, how species combine is subtly different every year. That’s why I so enjoy logging the dates when plants flower. Running a moth trap in my garden has made me even more aware of the mutual dependence of species, each moth needing the particular food plant for their caterpillars to feed on, so when they fly is timed to coincide with when that plant is available.
Global warming is also increasingly playing its part and is perhaps more obviously noticeable in some of the birds Steve has been seeing regularly which once were very rare visitors, some of them now breeding in Britain. Nature is adaptable thank goodness.”
To add to Brenda’s words I saw a headline today which tells that spoonbills have bred in the Norfolk Broads for the first time in 400 years, much as common cranes did a few years ago.
No new species for August 13th:
TOTALS TO DATE:
Birds = 215
Moths = 207
Wildflowers = 270